Monday, August 17, 2015

WHAT I'M READING V. 7 (POST PARTUM EDITION 2)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

My sister recommended this book and I loved it. The whole thing has a darkly witty, almost snarky, yet smart and charming tone to it that I found very enjoyable. Once you realize how much the author trusts you as the reader to play out the stories in the theater of your mind, you are in for a ride. It was a delicious read.

Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline

I found this one mostly interesting in regards to the historical piece of how orphans used to be sent west on trains to be given to families, basically for labor, which apparently really happened. I wasn't crazy about how this one wrapped up, but it was a fun and quick read in the meanwhile.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

I had never read Nora Ephron before (enjoyed her movies, but hadn't encountered her books) - but decided to pick up this memoir because I always heard her name brought up when smart memoirs by women are discussed. I was all in, after reading the first essay. Her voice is clear and she is instantly relatable. I get now how and why she was influential and it makes me want to read everything else she's ever written.

Night Waking, by Sarah Moss

I'm reading this with a few other frirends , and at first, I had a hard time getting into it. The narrator is sleep deprived and it was stressful to read about the difficulty of balancing motherhood and work in real time from what appeared to be an unreliable narrator. But I stuck with it and several threads appeared - elements of history, mystery and child psychology - which kept me interested and I think it makes it a good book to discuss. I'm a chapter away from the end and I'm glad I pressed on.